


Holding my Hand is always the Same

by ManifestMerlin



Series: Shance Support Week 2018 [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Langst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mostly hurt, Scars, Self Confidence Issues, shangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 11:24:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14135085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManifestMerlin/pseuds/ManifestMerlin
Summary: "The first thing that jumped out at Shiro when he scanned his face was the vertical scar that ran over his left eye, missing the eyelid. The second thing that he noticed, was Lance’s left arm or rather, his new left arm."Lance has been missing for weeks, the team has been wrecked by his disappearance, but he doesn't come back in the same shape as he left them. Thankfully for him, Shiro doesn't mind a bit.





	Holding my Hand is always the Same

**Author's Note:**

> Hey anyone like those two fluffy fics from before because ITS TIME FOR ANGST! Comments and critique are always appreciated and enjoy this longer story!

They found him. It had been weeks but they did it, they found Lance. After losing his boyfriend in a battle Shiro was inconsolable. He got better when the Blades gave them a tip on Lance’s location, but the feeling of hope disappeared as quickly as it came when they found out the station was one of Haggar’s personal labs. There he was though, Lance, shackled to a druid operating table and unconscious. The first thing that jumped out at Shiro when he scanned his face was the vertical scar that ran over his left eye, missing the eyelid. The second thing that he noticed, was Lance’s left arm or rather, his  _ new _ left arm. It was a similar prosthetic to Shiro’s but the joints in the fingers looked even more precise as though the arm was designed for precise movements rather than brute strength.

_ He’s alive!  _ He thought, tearing up.

**_But at what cost?_ ** The part of his stupid head that wouldn’t shut up said in response.

“Shiro did you find him?” Hunk’s anxious voice filtered through his helmet.

Of course Hunk would be first, the poor guy had been stress baking for weeks after Lance disappeared, the cakes and pies may have helped alliances in the meantime but everyone knew Hunk was hurting, everyone else had been too.

“Yeah, it’s him.” Shiro said.

“Well get him out of there, the sentries are only off for a few more minutes!” Pidge barked.

“Pidge give him some time-” Allura started.

“I’ll give them time when Lance is safely back on the ship, we can’t afford to lose him again!” Pidge shouted back.

“Don’t worry guys I’m coming, Pidge get to the rendezvous in five.”

“On it.” Pidge- oh Pidge, for her it was like losing a brother all over again, and with Matt somewhere out there, there were few able to comfort her when she felt lost.

Cutting the restraints off of the table was the easy part. Lifting Lance up was hard. As soon as Shiro held him Lance whimpered and curled into his chest. It broke Shiro’s heart. He had to push away his feelings to get them to the pick up point however so that’s what he did. The sentries were all turned off and no galra came to stop them. As soon as they were in the Green Lion Shiro finally breathed a sigh of relief, they were okay,  _ Lance _ was okay.

*************

As soon as they were back on the ship Coran told them that Keith was on his way back from the Blades.

“Poor lad went rushing to Olkarion as soon as he heard the good news! He’ll make dinner if he keeps flying at the pace he looked to be, reckless as ever that’s out number four!” None of his usual joviality was there. His eyes were still as dark as they had been for the last few weeks. Everyone knew Coran saw Lance as a son, the day he went missing must have felt like losing a child all over again.

“That’s good.” Shiro replied, his voice even, “Does he need a healing pod?”

Coran gave him a once over, eyes flicking to his eye and left arm before responding, “No I think he just needs some rest. Take him to bed would you?”

“I’ll go make dinner, there’ll be a five star feast waiting for him when he wakes up!” Hunk said before walking towards the kitchen.

“I’ll go open a wormhole to get us to Olkarion then.” Allura said before walking to the bridge. She had been hit hard by the loss. She always responded in disgust to Lance’s pick up lines but Shiro knew she found some measure of comfort in them and all his jokes and antics. Shiro had heard her crying herself to sleep more than once when insomnia was too much for him and he walked around the castle.

“I’ll go… fix the thrusters.” Pidge grumbled. It was a lie, she had gone to fix the thrusters no less than four times in the last week alone.

Nevertheless Shiro was left alone as he carried Lance’s now silent body to their once-more-shared bedroom. 

As he laid Lance down on the bed his eyes fluttered open.

“S-Shiro? Is-is that you?” He asked weakly.

This time Shiro couldn’t stop the waterworks, “Yeah Lance its me.” 

“Is it real this time?” Lance said softly.

_ Wait, what? _

“Lance wait what do you mean ‘this time’?

“Yo-you all of you, would show up sometimes after they injected me and threw me b-back in the cell.” Lance sobbed, “You were always so n-nice but then you disappeared.” he suddenly stopped. “You w-won’t leave again, Takashi please don’t leave me again!” he sobbed and buried his head deeper in Shiro’s chest.

“I won’t Lance, I won’t.” Shiro said soothingly as he rubbed big circles on Lance’s back, “I love you too much to leave you Lance.”

Lance froze again before pulling away. “You’re fake, you have to be fake.” he said.

“Lance?”

“The real Shiro- the real Shiro wouldn’t love me anymore…” Lance trailed off, “I’ve been-I’ve been changed,” He said holding up his new arm and putting his other hand to his scar. “Real Shiro would know he deserved better than me, he would know he always had… CAN YOU HEAR ME HAGGAR? IT WON’T WORK THIS TIME! I CAN SEE THROUGH YOU!” Lance suddenly screamed and sat up on the bed.

“Lance!” Shiro exclaimed at the sudden outburst before stopping and thinking for a second, “Are you saying you didn’t deserve me before this?”

Lance stopped at that. “N-No you were better though always better- I was just-”

“Just the love of my life.” Shiro whispered, “This doesn’t change that, none of it does.” He said picking up Lance’s new robotic arm in his own. “Hold my hand, see tiger? We match!”

At the sound of the familiar pet name Lance suddenly hurled himself into Shiro’s chest and threw his other arm around his neck, “You’re real! You’re real this time, no-none of the fakes ever called me that before.” he exclaimed, sobbing loudly.

“Yeah its me tiger, it’s really me.” Shiro said. 

He let him cry. Shiro knew it wasn’t all better yet, in fact he could vouch from experience that it wasn’t even close, but Lance knew he was safe now, and as he held his new hand with his Shiro knew that that’s all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Left on a hopeful note so I HOPE you enjoyed it! These will get longer now since I have more time to write them so look forward in particular to the last two days since I have a plan in place for those! Also since I know someone will ask Coran's other child was a girl named Izarla who died in Zarkon's invasion so enjoy that last bit of angst!  
> Tumblr -> https://manifestmerlin.tumblr.com/


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